YouTube Symphony

As part of its marketing strategy, as well as an effort to create more constructive online communities, Google is organizing a concert at Carnegie Hall, in which the symphony consists entirely of musicians who auditioned on YouTube.

Here's how it works: Composer Tan Dun, who has written a piece titled "Internet Symphony No. 1, Eroica'," has filmed himself conducting each instrument in the symphony. Musicians will download the sheet music and learn the piece by playing along with a YouTube video of Dun conducting for whatever instrument they play. They then submit YouTube videos of themselves performing the piece and hope for the best. Google has assembled a team of musicians to select finalists for the symphony, and YouTube watchers themselves will pick the winners from this team.

In April, Google will fly the winners to New York, where they will perform the piece at Carnegie Hall. YouTube also plans to create a mashup of all the winning performances, to create the world's first symphony composed entirely of individual video snippets. According to the New York Times, the project will cost a pretty penny; in addition to flying and lodging the winners in town, Google will rent the hall, and the lease will soar into the six figures. Industry analyst Scott Kessler told the Times that the project seems to aim at two goals: reinforcing Google's image as a benign, creative force, to counteract recent public relations blows such as the failed Yahoo partnership; and boosting promotions for YouTube, which has struggled to attract advertisers wary of the site's amateurish videos.